some people already experiencing rain. meteorologist christina loren tracking the storm for us. >> we are tracking that storm system. we will continue to throughout the morning, as we're expecting it to get much worse as we progress over the next four hours. a lot of rain on the way to the bay area. we have a heavy band on the way. that's the first of a series of waves that will move over the bay area of heavy rain as we head throughout the first part of the day. also expecting isolated thunderstorms. i haven't even had a chance to mention the winds just yet. they are going to be strong. stay alert this morning. >> good morning. the biggest concern is the weather and the wind that christina's talking about. we do see a smooth drive. however, the traffic will be getting slower as the rain comes in. looking further south, i drove

through freemont. there was some pretty big rain drops there. you'll see the roadways are pretty dry past the truck scales. i think they're moving smoothly. the camera's shaking because of that wind christina's talking about, keep that in mind. 101 moves smoothly right now, just north of university. we're going to lower those speeds and definitely allow extra time this morning. >> checking back in with mike and christina. we have your covered in your drive all morning. she is live at the summit on highway 17. good morning. how's it looking? >> good morning. good news, no problems to report as we made our way southbound over 17 this morning. we only had to use our windshield wipers just a couple of times. the rain coming down consistently now. the wind's also not too bad. as christina mentioned, the winds will be the big story of

the day. if you have a high-profile vehicle, if you drive an suv, a tractor trailer, especially over the summit at 1800 feet, you better hold on tight. because these conditions out here can make your drive a little bit trickier this morning. highway 17 is considered one of the most dangerous highways in the entire state with its sharp and blind curves and narrow shoulders so please do keep that in mind. 4:30 in the morning, just a few cars, the traffic you're seeing behind me, heading into san jose, no problems to report. in the meantime, daily city crews home the hillside collapse will hold up in the coming rain. city managers says they've spent nearly half a million dollars to shore up that hillside after a water pipe broke. crews have been working to replace soil and plants that were washed away in that slide.

they say the hillside is still being monitored. in the north bay, people working until that rain starts falling. a lot of them getting out yesterday to fill up their own sandbags. one woman telling us she plans to line her garage to keep that water out. >> we just want to prepare because we see water coming under the garage door. if it keeps coming down, who knows what could happen. >> we can tell you other people in that area are worried about all the leaves clogging the storm drains and causing flooding out there. a long list of people buying lante lanterns, flashlights and batteries. now, our very own storm watch coverage continues all morning long. we invite you to send in your weather photos and your video clips to newstips@nbcbayarea.com. christina is tracking the weather, mike is monitoring the

commute, and they will in a few minutes report on how the storm impacts your neighborhood. opening fire on a home with a 4-month-old baby inside. just after midnight, police say the suspect shot an empty parked car, then fired at least one shot into a house. at least eight people were inside the home, including that 4-month-old baby. it is still unclear if anyone was hurt, but police say the shooting appears to be gang related. they're now looking for an older red honda civic with a hatchback seen leaving the area shortly after the shooting. anyone with information should call gilroy police. the teenager accused of killing -- or going on a south bay crime spree and killing one man will be tried as an adult. he will be in court today facing a list of charges including murder, robbery and attempted murder of a peace officer. police say the man and

26-year-old jonathan wilbanks robbed four businesses and killed a man during a car jacking. they also allegedly shot at a police officer. a school bus driver being hailed as a hero this morning. for saving the life of a disabled student trapped inside a burning bus. the school bus driver saw flames shooting out of the engine. she went to the back of the bus where a student with a wheelchair was sitting. she couldn't release the ramp because a fire had knocked out the electronics. she made the quick decision to carry the 95 pound middle school student off the bus to safety. >> fire person in charge came up to me and said you should consider your bus driver hero. because of her actions today and taking it upon herself to figure out a way to get the student off the bus. >> the 12-year-old girl, a special needs student at bridges academy, was not hurt.

firefighters arrived, put out the flames in about five minutes. the school district and the fire department plan on recognizing the school bus driver for saving that little girl's life. look at how quick -- how big the flames were. >> absolutely, jumped into action, a young hero. let's check back with christina loren. the bay area in for an adventure today weatherwise. >> it is a rough commute. good morning. wind combination with so heavy rain at times is going to make for difficult driving. we've got sustained speeds at 15. in san jose, from 15 to 20 miles per hour. south san jose is getting strong wind right now. over your open water bridges, you'll get caught by some strong gusts from time to time. we could even see hurricane force wind gusts as we head throughout the afternoon. it's going to be a very difficult commute. right now, you can leave, we're

actually seeing good conditions, compared to what we're heading towards. san jose starting to get your light showers. the first band, heavy band, of moisture arrives. that's going to be in the area in about 57 minutes in san jose, 51 minutes away in sunnyvale. you want to be ready for that. as we head through the days, this is not the only system. i'll talk about that. stop the clock on your future cast at 8:00 a.m., getting pockets of moderate to heavy rain. that will continue through 10:00 al. we might get a break between noon and 3:00. on and off spotty showers continue throughout the day. this is the first of a series of storms. we've got three more barreling towards the coastline. five to six days consecutive rain. what i can tell you is the sky's not even the worst. we're going to continue to track these storms. your seven-day outlook tells the story. that's in my next report.

mike and i are all over it this morning. let's check with him. >> make sure those windshield wipers are in good condition. as you hit the high rise, might get caught with gusty winds now. smooth drive right now for 92. the east bay side, we'll look at hayward, there's a little slowing approaching the toll plaza. we're looking at the spotty interchanges as well. even into the south bay, with some rain coming down there as well. we'll show you the north bay. look at the glistening roadways as well. no problems as far as the light volume of traffic. windy conditions and the slick roadways will be a tough commute. >> we'll brace for it, thank you

very much. it's 4:39. some democratic senators calling for an investigation into the spike of gas prices between may and october. six senators, including dianne feinstein and barbara boxer wants to know what role oil refineries played in rising prices. gas jumped to more than $5 a gallon despite falling prices. analysts say a web of problems, including a fire at a refiny, were to blame. it is 4:39 right now. our storm watch coverage continues, so stay tuned. plus, new fallout this morning over apple's map misfire. now telling the head of the department to get lost. too sweet? hey, too bad. the new bay area city thinking about imposing a tax on all those sugary drinks.

we continue to track the incoming storm. live look at the bridge toll plaza now. take your time, going to be windy and wet. >> this camera shows how windy it is. winds as high as 50 miles an

hour. >> a live look at san jose. the storm just rolling into the south bay. we'll have that in less than five minutes. >> that clock is ticking on the approach to the fiscal cliff and a disconnect remains in what the parties are willing to do to try to prevent it. republicans new found willingness to consider tax increases coming with a catch. larger cuts than democrats are willing to consider. trying to keep your taxes from going up january 1st. the white house went online and asked middle class americans what will happen if your taxes go up. thousands responded. some will tell their stories at the white house today. as small business own erbs did tuesday. >> we urged the president -- was to keep the middle class tax

cuts. >> small business want certainty so they can plan, look at how we move forward. >> they very much want consumers out there knowing what they're going to have money in their pockets. >> reporter: the white house argues this is not a pr campaign. >> it does not i think, you know, make a lot of sense to simply say never mind the american people and small business leaders. you know, cut them out of the process. >> reporter: republicans say the president needs to get to work behind the scenes. >> i would hope our friends on the other side can turn off the campaign and get into a cooperative mode here to reach a conclusion. >> there's been little progress which is disappointing to me. >> reporter: the party wants low tax rates but is willing t consider new revenue. democrats say medicare's on the

table. the question remains, is there a compromise both sides can live with. investors wary about the fiscal cliff and they're showing their concern on wall street. we turn to bertha coombs live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning, bertha. >> good morning. last week, markets were kind of bland because congress was out of town. they came back, started talking about the fiscal cliff, and we see markets yesterday sort of take a bit a nose-dive. particularly after those comments from harry reed when he said it was time to stop the happy talk in his words. that overshadowed a lot of positive news that came in in the morning in terms data home prices, consumer confidence. we'll get data this morning on new home sales and a report from the fed on regional economic conditions. the dow after those comments from harry reid falling 89 points.

and some changes in -- hopefully they can find their way there. apple has reportedly fired the executive in charge of developing the map software. rich williamson has left the come. he oversaw the app that was included in the new software and preinstalled on the new iphone 5. critics and consumers have complained the app is inferior. with apple preparing a new app for the iphone, seems apple wants to get its act together on its own map so it can retain that on the ios. >> no more pulling over for direction, got to rely on our phones. thank you. >> or melting -- >> or melting -- >> exactly, what did she say? >> christina is here to tell us the rain and wind is coming. >> right on time. good morning. we like it when it's right on time because we prepared you for it yesterday.

right now, if you're getting really to head out that front door, you're going to get the best drive of the morning. it's going to get much worse before it gets better. want to start with a look at your wind. the first storm, we've got a series of storms on the way, if you've not yet heard. the first storm is going to have a lot of strong wind. the next two systems will bring the rain. we're bringing on a lot of rain through the next couple days. these totals might amaze you. want to start with your wind speeds. they're picking up. half-moon bay sustained speed at 21 miles per hour. 11 in oakland with gusts 45 to 50 miles per hour. when you have slick conditions and high winds, it's a really dangerous condition. here's what we're expecting. the next 57 minutes, we start to get this heavy band of moisture in san jose. as we head throughout the

morning, it's going to get much worse before it gets better. this is the first of three storms. we're going to type out the first one for you. mostly wet over the greater bay area. between 7:00 and 10:00 rush hour, that's when the heaviest rain comes through. not just napa and santa rosa, all across the greater bay area as we head throughout the day. by 1:00 p.m., you'll get a little sunshine from time to time. very light breaks of sunshine. we'll see on and off spotty showers continue. for tomorrow, we're looking good as well. let's talk about totals. today, the bulk of the moisture comes through, an inch just about everywhere of rain. the second system comes through late thursday into friday. an additional 2 to 3 inches rain. the juiceiest system, saturday, sunday, monday, is going to bring your totals up, upwards of

7 inches of rain. fairfield, close to 6 inches of rain. here in san jose, getting over 4 inches of rain. that's a lot for a four to five day period. we are expecting localized flooding because our highways are just not equipped to receive these kind of rain rates. very unusual to get this much rain this quickly in the bay area. if news is, we will get out of it, late monday into tuesday. sunshine returns. before that type, just want to make sure you bring in any sort of objects outdoors that could get blown in by the rain. less than a month after voters rejected a proposed soda tax in richmond, a berkeley city council woman wants her city to give it a go. the council woman urging the council to consider putting an added tax on sweet ened drinks sold in her city. voters in richmond rejected

measure n which would have placed a one cent tax on every ounce of soda sold in the city. 4:50. nudists will be out in force on the steps of san francisco city hall today in the rain to continue fighting for right to bear it all in public. just last week, protesters stripped down during a board of supervisors vote to ban public nudity citywide. an attorney representing the nudests says the group intends to challenge the law in federal court, arguing the new regulations violate their first amendment rights. the group will protest again for the required second vote on the ban. as of now, the law is scheduled to take effect on february 1. we've been tracking your weather and wind all morning long. bob rydell is our man out on the street, tracking what's happening. where you at? >> reporter: southbound 280 leaving coe ining cupertino.

if there was ever a good type to drive into work, right now would be the time, because we don't have much in the way of rain. we had sprinkles earlier but the road conditions -- so as christina has been saying all morn long, in about an hour is when you can start seeing conditions deteriorate. we can see the storm is coming. we've felt some wind in san jose maybe 10 to 15 miles per hour. there is a wind advisory in effect. unfortunately, does cover your morning commute. you'll want to be very careful. especially up and down the peninsula. that's where the national weather service is predicting the greatest gusts of wind. in the south bay, according to the weather service, not so much, but if you're crossing any of the major bridges, golden gate even, you want to be

careful out there because you are exposed, you are over the water, and that's where the wind can catch you most. if you could be out here now, now's the time to go into work. unfortunately, that means you have to be up really early. reporting live, looks like we're entering san jose, bob rydell. >> maybe telecommute if you can. >> that would be nice, wouldn't it? 4:52 now. coming up, a new twist on the tour of california and it's big news right here in the bay area. looking outside at palo alto, we don't see the rain but i will show you what's coming up for the south bay. some changes. coming up.

happy wednesday. give you a live look at the bay bridge now. rain on the way. heavy wind also in the mix.

if you have a chance, give yourself a little extra time getting out the door because you want to be cautious getting to wherever you're going. it is 4:55. for the very first time in history, the amgen tour of cyclists will cross the bay. the race will head south to north instead of north to south. that means it will start near san diego and end right here in the bay area. along the way, the race will travel through san jose and livermore before with a nice long ride from san francisco to santa rosa. where the psych lifts will make their way across the golden gate bridge. the 750-mile race will take place over a total of eight days in may of 2018. we'll have a detailed list announced in january. we can set up here and cheer them on. >> we're going to make mike keep track of it all. >> like, i wonder if they're going backwards?

they don't use film anymore, okay, never mind. reverse the video, it backs up. a smooth easy drive. the roads are dry right now. that rain system christina talks about, just before 6:00. we're looking over here to the maps. we'll show you the changes. so far, the green on the roads means a smooth drive. highway 17, the changes over the last five minutes, as we get an update. rainy conditions. slick enough to be registering as rain as far as the traction goes for your car. watch it headed over the summit. we're also looking other the peninsula. a shot of palo alto before the break. we're showing you rainy conditions just north of there. the roadways are moving smoothly. we'll show you, things are nice down through emeryville. it is 4:57. coming up, our severe weather watch continues. we'll have a live look at the san mateo bridge as high wind warnings are in effect this

morning. we'll have live team coverage. coming up next.

thank you very much for rejoining us. while you were sleeping, a storm rolling into the bay area. some people already experiencing rain. want to check in with christina loren. she's been tracking the storm for us. christina. >> the winds are high right now. maybe they blew away her microphone. we'll work on that right now. there, think we can hear you now. >> thank you. good morning. a lot of wind and rain. if you can leave now, you'll bypass the heaviest part of the moisture that comes through as we head throughout your morning drive. a lot of rain. in addition to the rain, we're also expecting strong thunderstorms. i have not noticed any of those just yet but we are expecting that to happen as